Time Masters Book One; The Call (An Urban Fantasy, Time Travel Romance) (44 page)

Shona stared at her blankly as her mind raced. What
was
the investment her parents had made so many years ago? And what did Philip have to do with it? She supposed she cou
ld always ask her mother and fi
nd out. Up until now she’d never r
eally given it much thought. Th
ere were always too many other things on her mind, usually
academics. She always fi
gured it was her parent’s business; if they had wanted her to know, they would have told her.

But then, why hadn’t they?

“What’s the matter?” Ki
tty asked, poking her with a fi
nger.

“I will ask mother today. It is curious what you say. I never stopped to think about it.”

Kitty studied her for a moment, and Shona avoided the scrutiny by sifting through the letters in her hand. She knew how well her friend could read her.

“What else is wrong, Shona?”

Shona lowere
d her eyes to the fl
oor and bit her lip. Kitty could always do this to her. A sudden surge of unexpected emotion exploded inside her, begging to be let out: the thing was waking up. She needed to tell someone w
hat was happening to her, confi
rm that she wasn’t going crazy. “Kitty, I am not sure.”

“Not sure of what?”

Shona looked to her helplessly. “Of a lot of things.”

Kitty’s eye’s fi
l
led with concern. “Talk to me?"

She glanced to the bedroom door, listened then nodded. “But not here.”

“Library, then? We could pick up your book and then get something to eat.”

“Y… yes. That would…”
Her entire body tensed from
pain and she squeezed her eyes shut to block it out.

“Shona?”

“I… I, this is what I
need to… talk to you about.” Th
e pain increased
a
nd she balled her hands into fists. Th
ey had turned cold quicker than usual. “Kitty…” Her voice was an anguished whisper.

The longing increased.

Kitty jumped to her feet and went to her f
riend, confusion and concern fi
ghting each other. “Shona, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” She wrapped her arms around her. “What can I do?”

Shona looked at her as t
he first tear fell. “I will be fi
ne. Just give me a minute.” She fought the urge to sing, not wanting to appear even more foolish.

“I’ll put these things away and then let’s go. Maybe you just need to get out of the house for awhile.” Kitty began to organize the pile of papers,
letters and postcards on the fl
oor.

Shona nodded and began to hum softly, unable to hel
p it.
An odd
warmth suddenly fi
lled her, granting her the strength needed to stop the tears. She straightened herself and wiped her face. “Let us go.”

Kitty pushed the now-closed box back under the bed. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

She nodded and stood, her voice still acting on its own.

“What are you singing?”

Shona shook her head
, unable to answer, and opened the door.  Kitty followed
close
behind, her face screwed up in concern.
They went downstairs and let Maggie know they were leaving by a quick wave of a hand as she was on the phone.

“Wait a minute, girls.” Maggie hung the phone up and went to the door where Shona stood frozen, her face turned away from her mother. “Are you off to the library?”

Kitty looked from Maggie to Shona. “Yes. Then to get something to eat.”

Maggie nodded. “Library yes, eat no.
Or at least don’t eat much. Th
at
was Julia on the phone. Philip is going to pick us all up in a few hours and take us to an early dinner. If you like we can pick you up at the library, Shona, and Kitty could head home from there.”

 
Shona nodded but
still did not look at her. “That would be fi
ne.” She
took in her attire briefl
y.
Jeans, blouse, sandals.
“Am I presentable? Or should I come home to change?” Her voice was tense.

“Is something wr
ong, honey?” Maggie hooked a fi
nger under her chin, forcing her face around.

She swallowed hard. “It is nothing.”

Maggie
didn’t pursue it. “You look fi
ne. We’ll pick you up in front of the library in three hours.”

Shona shot Kitty a puzzled look, then glanced back at her mother and nodded. That was too easy.

They left the house, walking to Kitty’s car parked at the curb. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Kitty asked as she unlocked the passenger side door for her.

“Fine,” Shona whispered as she got into the car.

Kitty was walking around the front of the car to get in when she suddenly stopped. “Oh my
gaawsh
,” she drawled at something up the street.

Shona rolled down her window and poked her head out. “What is it? What?”

Kitty ran to the driver’s side door, unlocked it and all but dove into the car.
“Look, over there by the big fi
r tree. Guess who’s sitting under it?”

 
Shona look
ed to the huge fi
r across an
d up the street a few doors. Th
ere
beneath the branches, barely noticeable unless one was looking for him, sat the man from the library. “Oh my.”

The man was staring right at her.

“What’s he doing over there?” Kitty asked excitedly as she bounced in her seat. The whole car rocked from her actions.

Shona didn’t answer. She couldn’t. He had trapped her in his gaze the moment their eyes met.

“How did he know where you live? Do you think he followed us yesterday?”

Shona merely shook her head, succumbing to the serene embrace of his eyes. Her whole body slumped in the seat and she unexpectedly sighed.

Kitty looked from the man to Shona and back to the man again. She then smiled broadly. “He must really like you. Oh, how romantic! He followed you home! Who knows how long he’s been
there
waiting for you to come out of the house.” Her face fell into a look of panic. “Wait a minute. You don’t
think he’s one of those psychos
that stalks girls do you
?” She squeaked in alarm, yesterday’s encounter with the three hoods from the library still fresh in her mind.

S
he fumbled with the keys and fi
nally after dropping them twice, crammed them into the ignition, started the car and began to slowly back up but realized the only way to turn around was to head toward the man. She certainly didn’t want to do that. Of course, she also didn’t want to have to back down the hill, as backing a car was not exactly her area of expertise.

She hit a neighbor’s mailbox. “Oh, rats!”

Shona’s gaze was still a prisoner. “He will not hurt us, Kitty.”

Kitty put the car in gear and crept forward a few feet. “How do you know?” She looked in her mirror at the hapless mailbox, now askew atop its wooden perch. She cringed at the sight and quickly glanced back to the man who had
emerged from the tree and stood
about twenty feet away in th
e middle of the street
staring at them.

“I ju
st do. I know he will not hurt us. I can… feel it.”

“What?” Kitty stared at the man, and then Shona as her face beamed. “Did the two of you talk yesterday at the library? Did he ask you out or something and you didn’t tell me?” She let her eyes wander back to the man who was giving Shona a warm smile. “I wish it was me…”

  
The man began to move toward them again.

“Uh, oh! What should we do?” Kitty’s foot slipped off the clutch and the car lurched forward once and suddenly died.

The man leaped from the middle of the street to the opposite side and looked ready to spring again.

Shona, now free from his hold, shook herself as she and Kitty took in the sight of him, half-crouched across th
e street. Th
ey realized he must
have thought Kitty was going to run him over, and burst out laughing. They calmed themselves and looked at one another expectantly.

Kitty spoke fi
rst. “What should we do?”

Shona looked at the man, who was now standing up, eyeing the car suspiciously. “I do not know. Perhaps we had better go. My mother would not approve of him watching us.” She
was surprised at the pain that
accompanied her words. She didn’t want to leave him.

Kitty started the car, slipped it into gear and headed straight for him.

“Kitty, what are you doing?” Shona squeaked in panic.

Kitty pulled the car right up to him and rolled down her window. He backed up several steps, still eyeing the vehicle as if it would sprout
wings. “Hi,” she chirped
.

He said nothing and instead stood looking down at her.

Kitty glanced to Shona, who had her face buried in her hands, then grinned up at him. “We’re going to the library. You know the one we were at yesterday?”

The man still said nothing, bu
t bent to one knee
to look directly into the car at Shona. Kitty noticed his eyes brighten at the sight of her friend. Shona had lifted her face from her ha
nds and now sat utterly transfi
xed by him.

“Well, see you later.” Kitty sped up the street, turned the car around where it widened slightly and slowly passed back by him. It was an obvious invitation to follow.

The man took it.

“What are you doing?” Shona turned in her seat to see the man trotting
along behind them. “He is following us!
”

“Well, you’re the one who said he was harmless. Now let’s see how badly he wants you.” Kitty shifted and sped up a little.

“Are you crazy? What do you want him to do, follow us all the way to the library?”

“If he wants you bad enough,
he will. What better way to fi
nd out?”

“I do not believe I am
letting you do this, Kitty!” She
looked at her side mirror. “Oh no…”

“What? What is it?”

Shona looked over her shoulder again. “He’s not behind us any more.”

Kitty halted the car with a jolt and skid in her usual fashion. She looked in her rearview mirror, saw nothing and turned around to look out the back window. There was a cliff to the left, a steep hillside to the right.

“So where did he go?”

They both gasped and looked at one another.
“Over the
cliff ?
”
Th
ey cried in unison, and sped off again toward the next bend in the road, craning their necks toward the left. Once around the bend, they would know if they were right.

The car’s tires screeched as it sped around the corner, just in time for them to see the mysterious man all but leaping down one of the many sets of wooden stairs that climbed up the hillside for those hearty individuals brave enough to take them to the top. Needless to say, they weren’t used often.

Kitty made another of her infamous stops as her mouth dropped open. “Wow! Look at him go!”

Shona watched him with something between wonder and
concern.
He could get hurt running the stairs so fast. And he was doing it for her. She smiled.

“Gawsh, he’ll beat us to the bottom!” The car lurched and sped on.

“Do not go so fast Kitty. He will
kill himself for God’s sake!”

“Doubtful.”

“Doubtful? Look at him. He will break his neck if he goes any faster!”

 
They rounded another bend in the road and lost sight of him for a moment. Kitty stop
ped the car again, and Shona flew forward and then slammed back
into her seat with a hard jolt. “Now what are you doing?”

Kitty positively beamed. “Giving him a chance to slow down!”

“I do not believe this. Kitty, go!”

“Well make up your mind, will you
?”

Shona
took a deep breath
to calm
herself
. She didn’t know what was wrong with her
, why she felt so, so…
like, well, Kitty. She began to giggle. “Oh just go!”

The car hurled itself down the road and around the next bend. Kitty stopped the car yet again.
Both girls fl
ew
forward then
back against their seats with an audible “
ummpf
.”

 
“Look, he beat us!” Kitty whined.